Living a
healthy lifestyle is one of the most important things you can do for yourself
(and those you care about). Healthy habits can be contagious to those around
you Think about the negative aspects of
your health you'd like to change. What positive habits can bring about the most
benefit, and reduce your stress?
It’s been estimated that more than
90% of health
problems that bring people into the doctor’s
office are stress-related. It’s often harder to begin a new healthy habit than
it seems (especially when you’re overscheduled and overstressed). The following
suggestions can help you find a way from good intentions to the reality of a healthier, happier
lifestyle. Let’s get started:
1.
Your Support System: You’ll
find much more success if you have others who are helping you along the way. If
you feel like skipping your new healthy practices, it will be much more
difficult for you to make excuses to quit. One way to get support that is
growing in popularity is to hire a personal coach. You can also get support by
having a buddy start with you, or joining a class where they practice your
chosen activity (whatever that might be). You can always ask a friend to keep
you accountable.
Journaling is also a great way to keep record
your of activity and success daily or weekly. This habit is wonderful because
you can always get a morale boost by seeing how far you’ve come. It’s no
surprise that having someone on your side can help you in breaking bad habits and bringing in healthy
routines. Be careful, that you bring in the right people to support your
goals.
2.
Your vision: In
starting any new healthy habit, it helps to have tangible rewards. The trick is
to reward yourself for your first few steps until your new healthy habit
becomes ingrained into your way of life. The rewards you give yourself are a
personal choice, and you probably know what would be the best incentive for
your own success, but I recommend something small and enjoyable. Does your new
practice seem to fit with your lifestyle? If you find that you haven’t kept up
with your new plans as you’ve hoped, rather than beating yourself up over it. Congratulate
yourself for noticing that you need a change of plans Try something else that
you may end up loving.
Perhaps the most
important step in breaking bad habits is to make sure you’ve chosen ones that
you want to change. Dream about what can come of your life when you
experience success. Imagine the positive feeling that can happen. Sometimes, we
want the end result (healthy habits) but we aren’t ready to make it happen.
Setting a strategy that sounds good, but one to which you’re unwilling to
commit; sabotages your success before you even start. We often mistakenly
see our end result as our sole reward, and we fail to set meaningful, regular
rewards for ourselves along the way. Often the biggest deterrent to
improving health is feeling overwhelmed by all the available advice and
research.
Try to focus first on
one small, seemingly inconsequential, unhealthy habit and turn it into
a healthy, positive habit. The first step in creating a healthy new habit
that will be a long-term staple in your lifestyle is to choose an activity that
fits well with who you are, and how you live. When choosing a new practice,
keep in mind factors like your strengths, your schedule, and lifestyle, and the
complexity of the new habit, as well as your current stress level and time
available, and find an activity that fits well with all of these variables. When
you make and rehearse your choices in calm conditions, they’ll be waiting in
your cranial wings during uncertain moments. You’ll be less likely to resort to
following others’ leads.
3.
Make wise
food and beverage choices: Start
by filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Fill in the rest of your
meal with a selection of proteins, whole grains and dairy (Check out. ChooseMyPlate.gov). Supplements are not a substitute for a good diet. Shoot for
five servings of vegetables a day (raw, steamed, or stir-fried). A diet high in
vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of developing cancers of the
lung, colon, breast, cervix, esophagus, stomach, bladder, pancreas, and
ovaries. What, when, and how much you eat can keep both your metabolism and
your energy levels steadily elevated, so you’ll have more all-day energy. A
healthy approach to eating is centered on savoring flavor, eating to
satisfaction, and increasing energy, rather than focusing on weight. Most
Americans need to eat more fresh whole foods (in contrast to processed, highly
refined foods). Try to add more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables,
and legumes into your meals. Pair these carbohydrate-rich foods with a healthy
fat or lean protein to extend satisfaction that they become habit.
You might decide to become consistent
in putting your fork down between bites or only eating sweets on Saturdays.
With a food tradeoff, one choice is linked to another. Water, clear
non-caffeinated beverages, and food all count toward your daily fluid intake.
Avoid sports drinks or sodas with high sugar content and select water-rich
fruits and vegetables for snacks. Men should aim to drink at least twelve
8-ounce glasses of water per day. Women should aim to drink at least nine,
8-ounce glasses of water per day.
Drinking fluids throughout the day
versus all at once will help your body cells absorb the water gradually without
adding stress to your kidneys. Limit saturated
fats and trans fats, and aim to eat more foods rich in anti-inflammatory
omega-3 fatty acids to cut your risk of cardiovascular disease and maybe
even improve depressed moods. Both eating and physical activity are fun,
sensory experiences. In both, aim for pleasure (not pain). Pay attention to the
nutritional value of the foods you choose to eat, as well as what your senses
are telling you as sit down to eat.
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake,
zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” (Jim Davis) Isn’t this marvelous advice?
I thought you might enjoy it. Ignore it.
4.
Develop
healthy sleep habits: Adhering to bedtime ritual can reinforce your
body’s “sleep-wake” cycle (such as consistently going to bed and getting up at
the same time every day). The addition of relaxing rituals, such as reading a
book or listening to music allows your body to wind down at the end of the day.
If you have trouble sleeping, try
relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga. Eat a small
bedtime snack of foods shown to help shift the body and mind into sleep mode (whole
grain cereal with milk, oatmeal, cherries, or chamomile tea). Darken your room
more, and turn your clock away from you. Write down worries or stressful
thoughts to get them out of your head. This will help you put them into
perspective so you can quit worrying about them.
5.
Build an exercise
regimen: . If you want to live well and live longer, you must
exercise.
Experts suggest adults should set a goal of at least 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity activity each day Find an activity that you enjoy doing, and
you will look forward to exercising. Did
you know that daily exercise can reduce all of the biomarkers of aging? This
includes improving eyesight, normalizing blood pressure, improving lean
muscle, lowering cholesterol, and improving
bone density. Even ten minutes of exercise makes
a difference.
A great rule of thumb is to ask
yourself, “What would I like to be doing differently in three, six, nine,
twelve, months?” Again why are you setting the goal? What would you be
doing more or less of if you reached your goal? To stay even healthier,
using soap and water regularly remains one of the most effective, simplest
methods of germ control. When soap and water aren’t readily available, an
alcohol-based hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) is the recommended
back-up plan.
6.
Think positively by
focusing on gratitude: A positive
attitude helps build an improved immune system and boosts overall health. Your
body believes what you think. One reason why most of us feel good when we’re around
cheerful people is that we unconsciously imitate others’ facial expressions. A
friend who’s feeling good improves your chances of happiness by 9 percent. A
regular gratitude practice has the capacity to create new neural pathways that
support a more positive outlook.
Emotional intelligence (getting acquainted
and comfortable with your emotions) both difficult and pleasant ones remain key to success in all areas of
life. We often participate in a bad habit because of poor self-esteem,
faulty thinking, or to resist feeling challenging emotions. Learning to
label, tolerate, communicate and let go of emotions is a skill we can all learn
and benefit from. [i]
“It takes 3 weeks to break a
habit. 6 weeks to develop a new habit, and 36 weeks to hardwire this new habit.” (Patrick Holford)
[i] Sources used:
·
“10 Habits to Maintain Good Health” by BeneFIT Corporate Wellness
·
“15
Easy Ways to be a Healthier You” by Guest Contributor
·
“5 Ways to Maintain and
Spread Healthy Habits” by Katie
Dohman
·
“Healthy Habits: 15
Strategies to Keep Them” by Diane
Dean
·
“Maintaining Healthy Habits-In Five Simple Steps” by Elizabeth
Scott, MS
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